Lethal Home Showing Killers (and how to Conquer Them)

Just when you’re ready to breath a sigh of relief… You’re taken the right photos. You’ve listed on the right websites. You’ve e-mailed, called, staged, and nurtured the leads. And now… it’s the home’s time to shine.

It’s time for the deal-making or –breaking showing, and then it happens. No response from the buyers agent, no offer, and another day on the market.

Why? The reason could be that one of these showing killers is sabotaging your hard work and ultimately delaying or killing the deal before you even get to the negotiation.

The Odor of the Offerlessness

Showing successfully is about eliminating the obstacles that prevent buyers from seeing a home value. One huge showing killer can be a home’s odor. Whether it’s the stench of cigarette smoke, pet odor, or an unfortunate bachelor’s “musk”, make sure you remember these handy hacks for eliminating the stinky showing killers you can’t see:

Bowl of Vinegar Overnight – Sit a bowl of vinegar in a smelly room overnight and it will help soak up the unwelcomed odor. Queen of Clean, Linda Cobb, also says that if you pour white vinegar over a towel, ring it out, and then wave it around in the room it can help soak up smells in a flash.

Happy Hour Spray – Add 2-parts water and 1-part cheap vodka into a spray bottle and spray almost any area in the room. The mixture grabs the smell and evaporates. Bonus tip: This is also called “poor man’s dry cleaning” and used to freshen a suit when you don’t have time to hit the cleaners.

Have Coffee and an Orange – Coffee grounds and orange peels are great odor neutralizers. Add one of them to a bowl in the room, inside the trash can, or down the garbage disposal to help eliminate odors.

Yes, you could bake cookies too, but faintly oatmeal raisin covered stench might not go over as well as one would hope.

A Scummy Situation

Another thin layer that can stand between your sellers and a sale is soap scum. Two of the most important rooms to show are the kitchen and bathroom. Unfortunately, these two have the biggest chance of (1) being used right before a showing and (2) carrying the showing killer called soap scum.

The Glove and the Dryer Sheet

If you find a filmy listing and you want to get rid of the soap scum in quickly, grab a plastic glove and a dryer sheet. Cover your hand with the glove and wipe away the scum in a fast with a dryer sheet. This is one of the fastest ways to clean tubs, showers, sinks, and countertops in a flash.

The “Necessary” Clutter

Clutter’s a killer. This we know. However, the battle with many clients is that the clutter meets a need and storage is the real problem. To find a happy medium and offer sellers a stylish option for putting things away, suggest some of these chic basket options:

Wonderful wicker for the traditional home

Cool canvas for the modern spaces

Rugged rubber boxes for outdoors and/or garages

Learn How to Prep for a Showing Fast – Become a Showing Prep Ninja

First impressions can mean everything. It doesn’t just happen on TV. Everyday some buyer prospect spots one décor decision or unpleasantry that turns them off and causes them to miss the value of a great listing. Make sure you’ve got the skills to get your listings showing-ready in a flash.